Nigeria: Editorial - NNPCL's Reckless Disregard for Senate Oversight

What the report says

AllAfrica carried a Premium Times editorial on 27 July 2026 criticizing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited over what the newspaper described as repeated resistance to Senate oversight. The editorial argues that Senate President Godswill Akpabio should be held responsible for allowing the company’s alleged disregard of legislative summons to persist, citing the National Assembly’s constitutional powers to investigate matters within its lawmaking remit and compel attendance when necessary.

According to the editorial, a recent flashpoint involved Allwell Onyesoh, deputy chair of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), walking out of a meeting after senior NNPCL officials again failed to attend crude oil theft hearing sessions. Premium Times said the committee wanted records and testimony as lawmakers review the oil sector governance framework. It linked that work to an ad hoc Senate inquiry chaired by Ned Nwoko, whose interim report in November 2025 reportedly identified major missing revenues and blamed weak oversight and sabotage.

The editorial also revisited a separate Senate Public Accounts Committee probe into ₦210 trillion in oil revenue and related balances from 2017 to 2023, based on Auditor-General queries. It said NNPCL Group CEO Bayo Ojulari appeared after months of summons and asked for time because the issues predated his tenure. The article said the queries included ₦103 trillion in accrued expenses and ₦107 trillion in receivables, figures lawmakers questioned.

Premium Times framed the dispute as a test of accountability in Nigeria’s most important revenue sector, noting the country’s long-running problems with oil theft, pipeline attacks and fiscal leakages. The editorial urged stronger legislative enforcement and called on President Bola Tinubu, who also oversees petroleum matters, to respond to the concerns.